Weed killer and method of killing weeds



Patented Dec. 4, 1928..

UNITED .STATESTPATENT "oi-"rice. 1 4

RALPE N. CHIPMAZPLOF PLAINTIELD, NEW JERSEY.

,wmin KILLER AND mmnon or mums WEEDS.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to a weed killer and method of killingweeds. Its object is to produce a Weed killer which, when in use on and within plants, has a much more intense, weed 5 killing quality or property than has heretofore beenknown and which contains a hygrosco ic ingredient that is compatible with the her icidal agent and which is coactive with constituents of the plants or vegetation to be killed, the hygroscopicity of the herbicide keeping it from drying out on and within plants and prolonging its herbicidal effect.

One substantial, material and crucial factor in my new conception of means to this end v is the incorporation in the weed killing liquor of an in redient which constantly draws moisture from the air, during the period of the activity of the weed killer on and within plants, and of another ingredient which, at

the same time effects a constant liberation of nascent oxygen.

I herein below set forth chemicals and the approximate proportions thereof which are severally. and combinatively now preferred for forming an aqueous, herbicidal liquor containing this invention; but it is to be understood. that the proportions may be varied .without de arture from the invention and that I intend to cover all chemical equivalents. Preferably, but not necessaril for the best resultsas now known to me or plants of marine origin, I mix together about 0 1818/? lbs. avoirdupois of calcium chlorate s 2' I I G2 a 2;) lbs. avoirdupois of calcium chloride a 2 s I Adding water to make one gallon of solution.

I The foregoing ingredients resultin about 40 one gallon of liquor of about 29% calcium chlorate and of about 16%"caIcium chloride,

whereby my new weed killer solution has about of active weed killing content, and ing free from sodium chloride, isespecially 45 useful for regions teeming with marine growths.

Another suitable liquor of the same nature I Th for a more eneral u e may be conveniently mafe'by thelfoll in formula: 1 3to4 lbs. avoirdupois ofso ium chlorate (Na-C102? 'tothe' 21X) 5 be. (0210b)., v

Adding'water to make one gallon of solution. a

' This method of making thecompounds in terially adds to the destruction of the avoirdupois calcium chloride Application filed April 15, 1926. Serial- No. 102,312.

suitable combination has the distinct advantage of utilizing relatively inexpensive raw materials andof yielding a combination of compounds ultimatel which cooperate to retard secondary growt sof plantnixtures,i.e., those 'not'as well as those ofmarine origin. 'In the latter form'ula, all ofthe sodium chlorate by chemical combination with all but the excess of the calcium chloride is converted B5 into calcium chlorate following equation:

By metathesis, the sodium chemically @co mbines with the chlorine of the calcium chloride and may or-may not precipitate out as salt N 2101) according to. the. re ulation of the water content, as may be pre'i erredf The-resultant liquor is a calcium chlorate-calcium 76 chloride liquor which may for special uses'be substantially freed of salt (NaCl as is sometimes desirable, because salt (Na 1) is promotive of the growth of some weeds and plants of marine ancestry.

in accordance with the- It is to be noted particularly that, in each v v of the foregoin liquors, (the' one containing no and the other containing some chloride%, the calcium chloride is an element constant atmosphere and it may be considered as an" evaporation retarder compatible with a 'chlorate'of an alkaline earth ase; and'in its-bef-l havior in conjunction with the chlorates, ma-

uilibrium of the plant processes, as hereina r described. y i

-In In search and experimentation for a weed ki ing, aqueous liquor which would be absorbed b and become lethal both on 'fand within. a p ant and be intensively deadly to. chlorophyll (considered as the l of. a

, plant) and of other constituents of plant life, j l

,the described herbicidal liquors (containing i the chemically active, waten-drawin element) are the best of various types 0 drying, aqueous herbicides known to me;

constantly effective water-drawing content keeps them constantly moist and reducesthe- 1 08 hazardv of combustion "whenin-eontact with 1 y acting to draw moisturef the s I ey are non-poisonous toanim'al life, their armada desirable, before if v the plant.

. the suns rays by contained j- The form and arrangement of the parts of .a typical foliage leaf are intlmately associated the leaf, with water which is brought into the part of the richer in stomatag leaf by wood vessels. The wood vessels form fibro-vasc-ular bundles of veins of the leaf and are continuous through the leaf stalk and stem with the root by which water is obsorbed from the soil.

The alisade layers of the mesoph'yll 'con-' tain the larger number of chlorophyll grains or corpuscles while the absorption of carbon dioxide is carried on chiefly through the lower epidermis which is. generally much The Water taken up by the roots from the soil contains nitrogenous and mineral salts which combine with the first product of photo-synthesis'a carbohydrate-to form more complicated nitrogen containing food substances of a protein nature. These are then distributed by other elements of the vascular bundles through the leaf to the stem and so throughout the plant to wherever growth or development is oing on; Y

"A large proportion of t e water which ascends to the leaf acts merel the other raw food materia s, and is got rid of from the leaf in the form of water vapor through the stomata. The lprocess is known as transpiration. Hence t e extended surface'oi the leaf exposing a large area to light and air is eminently adaptel for the carrying out of the process 0 photo-synthesis and transpiration.

When the weed killer is applied to plants or vegetation to be killed y spraying or otherwise, the calcium chloride continually draws moisture from the air, so long as the calcium chloride is active as such.

How the actual destructive processes ensue must be largely speculative until the present mysteries in agricultural chemistry become less obscure. t seemspossible that the calcium chlorate, due to its chemical afiinity for carbon dioxide gas in the air and leaf, and taken therein from the air, in breakilng down, liberates nascent oxygen as folows:

in which atoms of nascent oxygen serve to form, on and within the plant, a'new, concentrated, herbicidal field of intense plant killing activity. This field, as I call it, is a as a carrier for.

ered with the weed killer, the number of such continuously active, herbicidal fields, which are contiguous and overlapping, are multitudinous. In this way, the vegetation sprayed is coated and very thoroughly saturated with multi inous herbicidal fields of intense, weed Thesaturation o the plant is automatic as a result of keeping the weed killing constituent-s moi-st. All the time during the active life of the weed killer, in situ, the calcium chloride draws moisture from the air, and so long as the calcium chlorate, in situ, is ke t moist, so long is-it in condition to be a sorbed by and chloritize the plant. Such ab sorption causes the calcium chlorate, in situ, to decompose with the plant juices and carbon dioxide gas,

amount of chloric acid (H010 is liberated. This chloric acid has a very corrosive and erosive action on all constituents of living plants.

As above described, the chlorophyll cellular structure is destroyed and at the same time the chemical and physical equilibrium ofthe plant procemes and sap are destroyed. The plant root, being deprived of any further ability to continue its function, cannot further absorb nutriment or moisture from the soil or receive the vitall necessary chemical and physical support rom the leaves, so that the entire root structure atrophies and disintegrates.

The calcium chlorate, by its continued con tact with the organic material, will ultimately be deprived of all of its ox gen and will finally exist as a residue 0 calcium chloride. In that hase it forms, in cooperation with such so ium chloride as may concurrently be present, an eifective agency for retardin germination of the various plant types. I or example, rimental to some growthswhile stimulative to others but the calcium chloride, being a distinct retardant to germination, will in' turn negative the sodium chloride ancestry.

What I claim is: I i

1. A weed killer decomposable ultimately into lime and constituted fundamentally of calcium as a base, the calcium being combined chemically with chlorine and oxygen-chlorine radicals.

2. A herbicidal preparation composed esstimulative tendency of the towards plants of marine sentially of an element the carbonate oi which is relatively insoluble; said element being combined with oxygen and chlorine to form a water-soluble compound adapted in the presence of CO gas and plant tissue gradually to liberate oxygen, chlorine and combinations thereof and to form insoluble carbonates.

minute area ;.and, as a plant is sprayed or covnetratin and weed killing activity.

ever present in air and in plants to form carbonic acid and a certain sodium chloride is det- A mixed origins and 4. A complex weed killer decoin osable ultimatel into lime and constituted. undamentally 0 calcium as a base, the calcium being combined chemicall with chlorine and oxyen-chlorine radicals, and associated with a eliquescent salt.

, 5. An herbicidal preparation composed essentially of an element the carbonate of which is relatively insoluble; said element being combined with both oxy en and chlorine, and being combined with c lorine alone, to form two associated water-soluble compounds adapted in the presence of CO gas and plant tissue gradually to liberate oxygen, chlorine and combinations thereof and to form insoluble carbonates.

A non-poisonous herbicide comprised essentially of both calcium chlorate and calcium chloride. v I

7 The art of wilting grown weeds of of retarding secondary germinations thereof which consists in sprayng the leaves thereof with an aqueous solutioncomposedof the chlorate of an alkaline earth base and common salt whereby the chlorate maydecomposeby destructive contact with the organic tissue to produce a highly hytgroscopic chloride of said base and therea er cooperate with said common salt to retard secondary growths.

8. The art of wilting grown weedsand of retarding secondary gcrminations thereof which consists in sprayingthe leaves thereof with an aqueous solution of the oxidizing chlorate of an alkaline earth base and the liquescen't chloride of an alkaline earth base.

9. The art of wilting grown weeds and of retarding secondary ge'rminations thereof consists in spraying the leaves thereof with an aqueous solution composed of sodium onloride, and the chloride and chlorate of an alkaline earth base.

10. A non-poisonous non-explosive liquid for wilting grown weeds of mixed ori 'ns and for inhibiting secondary germinations thereof, said liquid being an aqueous solution of the chlorate andthe chloride of an alkaline earth base; each in a considerable quantity.

Signed at- New York city in the county of New York and State of New York this 24th day of March, A. D. 1926..

, RALPH N. CHIPMAN. 

